Post Play Will Be Key for San Antonio Spurs against Los Angeles Lakers

By Juan Pablo Aravena

Gary A. Vasquez – USA Today Sports

The San Antonio Spurs are coming off a nice win in their season opener against the tough Memphis Grizzlies, but the road could get tougher as they will go on the road for their next contest.

San Antonio will travel to the Staples Center to take on Los Angeles Lakers, a team that already shocked the world defeating Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. There’s no doubt that the Spurs will need to be at their best to win their second-straight game, but there are several things they need to take advantage if they want to get a positive result out of this upcoming game.

However, none is more important than the interior game, where the Spurs have a clear edge.

After the loss of Dwight Howard this offseason, the Lakers are no longer the threat they were at the post. His replacement Chris Kaman is an average journeyman and even though he’s experienced, Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw should match up very well against him. Splitter has developed several post moves in recent years, and Diaw can take him off the paint where Kaman is clearly less effective.

The matchup everybody will look for, however, will be the one between Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan. With Kobe Bryant sidelined, the Spaniard is the focal point of the Lakers’ attack and even though he looked really good against the Clippers, Duncan still has an edge over him. Duncan is still one of the best power forwards in the NBA, and his wide array of moves on both ends of the court should be enough to give the Spurs a solid advantage in this game.

The Spurs can’t get complacent as the Lakers already show that they can beat anyone on any given night, but the squad led by Gregg Popovich should be able to win the game if they’re able to stick to their game plan.